Tom’s Inheritance by TJ Green

By BookGoodiesKids Curator

Tom’s Inheritance by TJ Green

When Tom accidentally crosses to the Otherworld in search of his missing grandfather, he meets the mysterious woman who has been appearing in his dreams – Vivian, the Lady of the Lake. She tells him he must travel to Avalon and wake King Arthur from his enchanted sleep. Something dark is stalking the old forest and Vivian needs Arthur’s help.
The journey is filled with danger, magic, powerful allies, and an ancient enemy. Tom’s life may never be the same again.
A magical tale for older children and all lovers of Arthurian legend.

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I've always loved reading about King Arthur and have long wondered, as have many others, whether he ever really existed at all. There are so many stories, and I love the mix of the real and the magical. The stories are filled with knights, battles, dragons, omens, witches, and faeries and the fantastical. I decided it would be great to see what happens when Arthur is woken from his centuries deep sleep on Avalon to find himself in the Other, a place where the faeries and the fantastic rule. But I wanted the story to be from Tom's point of view, a teenager who finds he's a distant relative of King Arthur and how that impacts on his life.
The story actually began with a short story about Tom's granddad Jack, I wanted to begin with 'Once upon a time'. That was then shortened to become the prologue.

How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
Tom is my nephew. He's really young, especially when I started writing this six years ago, he was only just born. But I was curious to write something for someone to see how that would impact on developing the story. The other characters grew from there. I wanted a feisty female to join Tom, so that was his cousin Beansprout, and of course he needed friends to help him in the Other.

Book Sample
Tom's attention was caught by a flicker of movement in the wood. Normally he would take no notice, people often walked in the wood. But this time something was different. The dark shapes flitting around the trees seemed to be hiding.
He stood in his grandfather's kitchen, looking through the broad window that framed the garden, down to the wood beyond. He frowned and reached into the drawer for the binoculars. For the briefest of seconds he saw a tall figure stepping back beneath the trees before it vanished.
More than a year ago, when Tom was fourteen, his grandfather, Jack, had mysteriously disappeared. He walked out of his house one evening and never came back. The was no sign of a struggle, only a note left for the family, explaining that he was going on a trip with a new friend and that he would send a "sign" that he was alright.
What if this strange activity in the wood was to do with Granddad?
Impatient after months of waiting, Tom grabbed his jacket and headed into the garden. He jogged down the path, past the winter remains of the garden, a skeleton of its summer self, the seed heads and vegetation sagging in the frost. He pulled the gate open, wincing at its protesting creak, and leapt across the stream, cursing under his breath as his left foot plunged into a shallow icy pool. He thrust onwards, pushing aside the overhanging branches of a yew before pausing to look around.
The wood was still and silent.Tom edged forward, peering behind tree trunks and up into the bare branches high overhead. A prickle of unease traveled up his spine and he spun around, convinced he was being watched.
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